September tunes

What happened? Summer already seems to be over. Oh well, at least there's always new music to dig up online. Here's what I have for you this month (you might notice that a number of Osheaga acts have made their way onto this list):


10 - "Breathe In (Carmen Rizzo Remix)", Low Roar

Well, it seems that I'm making my way through Scandinavia now. Low Roar's frontman is originally from Oakland, but recently moved to Iceland to start this band. The original version of the song features Amiina doing instrumentation - a really cool experimental female group who opened for Sigur Ros here in Ottawa a few years ago. This track has a really nice chill vibe for late summer, er, fall nights.

9 - "I'm a Ruin", Marina and the Diamonds

I've heard a lot of Marina and the Diamonds before but none of it has ever stuck. I think this is a first. I think this is one of the most "pop" songs she has done. Yes, it would probably find a home at AC radio rather than CHR, but I'm almost 40 so it's allowed.

8 - "Need You Now", Hot Chip

More deep house from Hot Chip. I was at a party a few weeks ago and some guy used his phone to play some music but I'm pretty sure nobody asked him to, so it was a bit weird. An onslaught of under the radar indie rock followed, none of which was recognized by anybody...and then "Need You Now" popped up. What a playlist. If anyone's curious, 1) the song samples vocals from the very end of Sinnamon's 1983 release "I Need You Now" and 2) the song has enjoyed the most popular success in Belgium.

7 - "Between Me and You", Brandon Flowers

This is a really sweet song from The Desired Effect. I like the alternation between the use of "between me and you" as a measure of distance and a suggestion that something is being communicated in confidence. I like wordplay. If anyone wants to see a live version featuring Chrissie Hynde, crowd singing and feedback, here ya go.

6 - "In the Wind (feat. Joey Bada$$, Big K.R.I.T. and Chauncey Sherod)", Statik Selektah

Awwwwwww yeeeaahhh. That's smooth. There's not a lot about Statik Selektah out there - he's from Boston, used to be a radio personality and has already released seven studio albums and two EPs. K.R.I.T. and Bada$$ are a couple of nice names to have on your track though.

5 - "Ship to Wreck", Florence + the Machine

While this video is not as out there as the one for "What Kind of Man", it still features suspension of the laws of physics, rain, wrestling, questionable degrees of consciousness, an apparently comfy tub and the ever-present flailing.

4 - "Pirouette", Made in Heights

I'm a little shocked to see that I never included MiH's track "Panther" on this list. I sure listened to it a lot. I like "Pirouette" even more. Playful, breezy, nice to throw on in the background. Their album Without My Enemy What Would I Do just got released so their material might be popping up in more and more places (ads, shows, movies, etc.) over the next while.

3 - "Could I Be", Sylvan Esso

This live performance is a pretty faithful rendering of the album track - not really any surprise considering it's electronic music. But still, there's a lot of room for the vocal to be rubbish. That dude may just be twiddling knobs when performing, but he sure seems to enjoy himself. Their interplay at Osheaga was pretty cute.

2 - "It's All Okay", Julia Stone

The opening piano/drum combination screams "Moby". The closest song I could find though was Mothers of the Night, which is different enough to be outside the plagiarism zone:) Despite the fact that the song is three years old, I'm still loving it right now. Songs being a little dated has never stopped me before.

1 - "Leave a Trace", CHVRCHES

Oh man, look who's back and who has not lost a step. CHVRCHES! And you had best believe that I am getting that album the second it's released in a couple of weeks. I have nothing more to say. Enjoy the syntheses of it all.

Before leaving this week, I want to throw a shout-out to whosampled.com, a FANTASTIC resource for sorting out those samples that you totally recognize but not quite enough to identify. Check it out.